


Dragon's Mate

by JessiCatt32



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2019-07-02 01:11:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15785895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessiCatt32/pseuds/JessiCatt32
Summary: Dragon slayers, just like the dragons who raised them, have mates and mate for life. Though some slayers may not realize, and put it off to close friendships, if they have indeed found their mate, it is only a matter of time before they lose themselves to their true nature.





	1. What Happened Again?

She couldn’t sleep anymore, the feeling of not accomplishing anything in her life was driving her crazy. The first, and last, big thing she had done was run away from home and join a wizard’s guild. Shouldn’t her life be moving now? Sure she had fun in Fairy Tail with all of her friends that were as close as family, but she wasn’t any stronger as a wizard, while all her friends continued to improve.

As a hobby she had a constant writer’s block. As a girl about to hit the big one eight she had never even kissed a boy, let alone told one how she felt when she did have a crush. She sighed to herself and smacked her head down on the bar of the Fairy Tail guild hall. 

Restless nights and complete lack of sleep were really starting to get to her. However, she had to take a job today, rent was due by the end of the week and she barely had enough to cover it. 

She began to sink further and further into depressing thoughts when it just so happened that a white-haired, positively cheerful, bartender noticed the downtrodden Lucy.

“Good Morning, Lucy!” Mirajane chirped brightly. Seriously, was Mira ever in a bad mood?

Tilting her head up and positioning her chin on the bar she replied with mumbles.

“Oh my, what is troubling our little celestial spirit mage today?” Mirajane asked innocently enough but she had been watching the little blonde becoming more and more depressed over the last week. So, in secret she hatched a little plan with the hall’s one and only ale drinking champ. Well, more like she asked for a favor and forced her into it with a bit of blackmail. Hey, what works, works?

“I’m just so boring!” she whined, “There’s absolutely nothing at all special about me or my magic! I love my spirits, but without them I’m just useless! I can’t do anything right or well on my own! I’m just so, ugh!” A resounding smack sounded from her forehead hitting the bar again.

During that outburst, Canna (said ale drinking champ) walked up and slid onto the stool next to Lucy’s. Canna gave Mira a look and mouthed, ‘We’re even.’ And turned toward the blonde.  
“Oh, what’s wrong Lu? Need a little pick-me-up? If so I definitely got you covered! You, me, and my barrel, tonight at your place!” She would make an excellent saleswoman if she ever wanted to.  
Lucy turned her head to the side to stare up at the brunette, wondering exactly why she wanted to drink with her of all people, now. Was her wallowing in self-pity that obvious? The thought made her slip farther into it. 

“I’ve never had a sip in my life Canna, I doubt you’d have much fun with me.” She turned to finish staring at the bar.

“Lu, I won’t care if it’s fun! I’ll be drunk so everything will be fine!” Her cheerfulness was making Lucy uneasy. “I’ll be by your place at 8! See you then.” Canna slid off her barstool and retreated back to her previous seat.

“Wonder what’s up with her.” Lucy sat up pondering, mostly to herself.

“Well I think you should do it Lucy! Give yourself a little break and time to just have fun!” Mira encouraged, finishing wiping down the table where Lucy’s head had left a smudge.

“Blah, what the hell? Maybe it’ll help…” If anything it’d help her sleep.

~.~.~

Natsu walked into the guild hall with a spark in his eye and a cat on his shoulder. He had the perfect job to do but he needed his partner before he could set out. It was getting late but he figured that maybe she’d be up for leaving out that night to be in the next town over when morning came.

He glanced around the guild hall looking for his bubbly partner but didn’t see her anywhere. He spotted Mira and quickly made his way to her.

“Hey Mira, have you seen Lucy? I’ve got this job I’m all fired up about but I need her to come too! I thought she’d be here.” He asked, still glancing around for Lucy.

“Oh, well she had plans with Canna tonight, she should be back at her place. I doubt she’ll be up for leaving out tonight though. If you want I can tell her first thing in the morning. She should be coming by to get a job then.” Mira replied sweetly.

“OoOoO, she’s with Canna? Drunk Lucy alert! Drunk Lucy alert!” Happy chirped and hopped down from Natsu. 

“Really? You think she’s getting drunk with Canna, Little Buddy?” Natsu asked surprised and clueless. Leave it up to Natsu to not notice his partner getting depressed as of late. Seriously, he needed to have a lesson in social ques. Mira shook her head and sighed.

“Well thanks Mira! Guess we’ll see if Lucy wants to go now!” Natsu called heading toward the doors. Did that entire conversation just go over his head? Mira couldn’t be sure. 

Natsu arrived at Lucy’s place and had Happy fly him up to the window like usual. It really was just the fastest way in. He cracked open the window and his sensitive nose was bombarded by the smell of booze. Opening the widow further until he could get in, he crawled until he was sitting crisscross on Lucy’s bed. “Lu~cy!” Natsu called.

He didn’t get a response, but from the lack of Canna’s barrel, she must have already left. The steam rolling from under the bathroom door could only mean that Lucy was in the bath. He decided that he’d just wait for her to get out and stretched out on her bed. She really did have the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in.

A half hour had passed and she was taking forever, enjoying her bath he guessed, and at that point he was becoming drowsy. Happy had already passed out, curled up on her pillow. How much longer could she possibly take? He played with the corner of her blanket until he heard the bathroom door open. He sat up a bit to say something but his voice was lost on the half-naked Lucy stumbling to her  
bed.

“Lucy?” he asked as she pulled the bed covers back and got it, pushing him against the windowsill. Her hair was wet and smelled very strongly of her favorite shampoo as she reached around attempting to find what he could only guess was her pillow. He always liked the way she smelled. 

He was trying to figure out exactly what he should be doing to get out of his situation. With Happy asleep the window was out. He couldn’t just hop out and leave the guy. At that moment the mostly asleep Lucy found his arm and dragged it down to the bed, laying her head on it. Natsu was in trouble now. He pulled back from her gently, trying to dislodge his arm from her grip. In her sleep induced state she just followed his arm, seemingly to frown when he got too far.

Finally he gave up, deciding to wait it out until she completely passed out. She surprised him though, snuggling into his side real close and after a quick sniffed, smiled and muttered his name. And now that stroked his ego. She knew his scent too. 

Well, it stroked his ego until he remembered that her sense of smell was completely normal. Why would she have his scent memorized enough to recognize it in her drunken sleep? His drowsiness once again set it while he was pondering his partner, and after a bit more time he too drifted off to sleep.


	2. Well Then

Lucy felt hazy. Yea that was the best word to describe it. She was having trouble chasing the sleep from her mind and couldn’t quite comprehend the weight wrapped around her waist. Sighing, she turn over to her side to face the window and bumped into… something. 

The feeling of another’s skin caused her eyes to fly open, and she came face to face with a sleeping Natsu. Her body froze but her mind began to run mile a second. Why was Natsu there? And in her bed no less? Had Natsu been there with Canna? No, not from what she remembered. Could he have come after she was too messed up to remember what all she did with Canna? Perhaps, or maybe he came after Canna left?

She concentrated on slowing her breathing, she didn’t want to chance waking the sleeping dragon slayer. Slowly she wiggled out from under his arm and slipped to the floor. She rubbed her hip as she pulled herself to her feet, thankful that she had a rug and didn’t hit the hardwood floor beneath it. 

She had to find Canna. She quickly and quietly found her clothes, whip, and hair tie; then slipped into the bathroom. Her frantic mind began to calm down as she was finally able to slow her breathing. Of course it was that second that she realized that all she was wearing was a pair of skimpy panties and tight tank top, and so her frantic mind and speedy heart returned.

‘Alright Lucy. Just calm down and breathe. I’m sure once I find Canna this mess will be cleared up!’ She was giving herself a well-deserved pep-talk. She got dressed and snuck out of her apartment. Lucy never thought she be so pitiful that she had to sneak out of her own apartment, but she’d let this one slide. What she failed to realize as she closed the door softly behind her was that a certain blue cat was resting next to Natsu, awake. And that blue cat knew for sure that those two were ‘in loooove’. 

~And then.~

Lucy checked everywhere she could think of, all through the guildhall and around town at every bar. Of course it was her luck that she couldn’t find her at all. Finally she went back to the guild to find Mira. Mira was busy setting up the bar area when Lucy approached her.

“Hey Mira. Have you seen Canna around?” Lucy was trying to get to the point rather quickly. She hoped to get everything figured out before she had to face Natsu again.

“Oh, hey there Lucy! No, I haven’t but I was pretty sure she said something about leaving for a job this morning. She probably won’t be back until after you leave for your job.” Mira replied, finger on her chin and her eyes toward the ceiling.

“My job? I haven’t taken a job yet.” Lucy replied momentarily forgetting her hastiness. 

Mira looked at her slightly confused. “Did Natsu not find you last night? He headed over to your place, though I told him that you had plans with Canna.” 

Mira did not fail to notice Lucy’s face turn beat red. “Uh, well, ya see…. I kind of don’t really remember what happened last night. So I’m not sure if he told me.”

“But you know that he came over? Did he leave a note?” Mira was sure she was onto something by the way that Lucy’s face turned a deeper shade of red. 

Mira contemplating the reason of her embarrassment finally had an idea dawned on her, drunk Lucy plus Natsu could have yielded some fun gossip. “Lu? Why are you trying to find Canna?”

“Well, I just needed some clarification on what all happened.” Lucy needed to get out of there before Mira dug too far….but what was the quickest way? Then she got a great idea about getting out of it, “Well, buh bye Mira!” and off she went!

Lucy ran from the guild hall ignoring Mira’s call to come back. She couldn’t believe that Canna wasn’t even around right now. She really needed that drinking champ of a wizard. How in the world was she going to face Natsu without even knowing what happened between them?

A defeated Lucy headed back to her apartment. It was quite possible that nothing happened. Right? She just woke up in bed partially naked with him, it could be worse. She could have been completely naked. She sighed as she summoned Plue, she definitely needed a companion at the moment.

She rambled to Plue about everything that had happened thus far and he followed along giving his usual reply. It wasn’t long before she arrived back at her apartment. The sun was just peaking in the sky and she was still at a loss about what to do. ‘Well I can’t avoid him forever.’ She thought to herself as she pushed her apartment door open.

To Lucy’s surprise Natsu was still asleep but Happy seemed to have vanished. Investigating closer she saw a note on the pillow that read: ‘Went to help Wendy and Carla’ with a paw print as his signature. What? He can write? Since when do cats write?

A soft snore drew Lucy’s attention back the sleeping dragon slayer in her bed. She really did think he was adorable while he slept, she leaned in to look him over. He turned toward her hovering figure and hugged her pillow muttering her name in his sleep.

Her face became hot as her breath caught. What was it about her pink-haired friend that caused her to become so awkward? He was the same as always, crazy fun and loyal to a fault, reckless but protective of those he cared about, and he always brought happiness to those around him. 

He was a great friend who had saved her on many occasions, so why did she always get so nervous when being so close to him? She sighed to herself as she shook her head, straightening she turned and walked to her desk. She sat down to write a letter to her mom, writing to her mom always helped her sort out her jumbled thoughts. 

~And then.~

Natsu slowly started to wake, stretching out a little. He rubbed his eyes and peered around the room and spotted his blond haired friend at her desk, writing. “Hey, Lucy?” he called to get her attention. She turned quickly to look at him and covered what she was writing. 

“Uh, hey Natsu. You’re up! You ok? Why are you here?” she didn’t seem to be able to get her thoughts in order. Flustered, that’s what it was. Why was she flustered? Well, he did his usual and gave her a big smile, changing the subject. 

“I’ve got this great job! We’ve gotta get going soon though!” He smiled happily to see his partner smile back. People thought of him as rash and insensitive but he really wasn’t, he knew a good bit about soothing people and making them feel more at ease.

He pulled out the flier. “It’s some sort of ar-key-logi-cal…. thing! They want to find the “Dragon’s Library”! I thought it might give me some idea where Igneel went!” Natsu slaughtered archaeological.

Lucy smiled up at him seeming slightly unsure. Then her mood seemed to abruptly change, “Well, let’s get going! Just let me get my bag ready!” Her smile had a way of making him feel better. Then he remembered, he spent the entire night asleep with Lucy. He turned away as his face became hot and she walked around getting her bag together. 

He studied her out of the corner of his eye. Her smile as she got ready, silently humming to herself made him feel slightly less awkward. What was he going to say to her if she asked about him sleeping in her bed? Well he’d get to that when he did, for now he has his first lead on Igneel in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here is chapter 2! Hope you all enjoy!


	3. Bugs and Shadows

Natsu couldn’t stop thinking about the way that Lucy snuggled up against him the night before. It felt nice, he decided, nice to have her so close, her body adding a soft warmth to his side as he lay there. Now the only thing he couldn’t decide is why it kept playing through his mind on repeat. 

He looked out of the corner of his eye to his blond partner. They were walking to their job destination through the woods. He looked her over carefully, wondering what exactly had changed about her to make his mind stay on auto loop. She had the same blond hair, brown eyes, and body. Her clothes weren’t much different than what she would usually wear. From what he could tell she was the same as always. 

Well, maybe he had changed? Now he liked to snuggle with people? Well that just didn’t sound right. The thought of snuggling with anyone else from the guild just didn’t sound appealing at all. He shook his head, clearing the images of snuggling with guild members.

“Natsu? You all right? You look like you just smelt something awful.” Lucy asked him curiously.

“I’m fine. Why couldn’t Happy have come? Things are weird with just you.” Natsu stretched his arms over his head as they walked.

“Well what’s so weird about just being with me exactly?” Lucy crossed her arms, huffing. Not having noticed the dragon slayer’s discomfort. 

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Natsu huffed turning his head to face away from her but quickly turned it back when he hear a pop sound in the air. 

~heh~

Lucy didn’t understand what had gotten into Natsu, he didn’t have to make things so awkward now, just when she thought things were going to be normal as always with them. He’d been silent the entire time, which was strange, but sometimes he would get like that so hey, whatever. But then he had to go and say being with her was weird when she did get him to talk. She felt for the proper key and summoned Plue. There perhaps that’d help him. 

She pulled Plue into her arms, carrying him while she walked. Lucy couldn’t believe her luck though. Natsu not only didn’t bring up the situation from the night before, he seemed not to even realize what happened. She would still have to ask Canna for details, but as long as Natsu didn’t bring it up neither would she. And, the little bit of excitement from the whole mess had made her feel a bit better than she had been.

“Oh man! This place would be great for training!” Natsu yelled running out of the small cabin that they were to stay in during their job. They had just arrived and Natsu dropped his stuff off as he scurried back outside. He put his hand up, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked all around. 

Lucy just sighed at her pink haired friend, walking into the cabin’s small bathroom just down the short hall from the door, she closed it behind her. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about that incident? They were just friends. Awkward situations between friends are easily over looked. As Natsu had already proven. And why would she even think that Natsu would even have bad intentions with her while she was drunk anyways? She took a deep breath, looking into the mirror above the sink. ‘We’re just friends, there is nothing to stress about. You don’t even like Natsu like that, it can be argued that he’s your best friend. That’s all there is to it.’ Her lingering thoughts made her feel better as she walked back out.

~And then.~

“Lucy, c’mon. There’s nothing to worry about over a few bugs.” Natsu laughed, watching Lucy squeeze through a tight area in the caves without touching the walls. He really was getting a kick out of this. The two old geezers who hired them had started leading them into the caves about a half hour ago and Lucy was becoming more and more uneasy. Natsu couldn’t figure out the issue until a bug crawled onto her hand as she steadied herself and since then she refused to touch the walls.

“I’m not worried about them, I just don’t like them touching me, alright now?” Lucy said as she felt the wisp of contact on her neck that she’d usually associate as a bug crawling on her. She smacked her hand to her neck, jerking backwards, straight into the actual source of that feeling, Natsu. 

“Woah, easy.” He said, snickering lightly in her ear, his hand touching her side lightly and his other on her shoulder. Natsu felt her body tense and the slight heat she always gave off intensify just before she pulled away.

“Natsu! I don’t like them, no need to freak me out more.” Her voice sounded off to Natsu, though he couldn’t quite place exactly why it was off. He knew that it was more than just her freaking out about bugs, but he just couldn’t place the other emotion. Maybe it was nervousness?

“Anyways kids, we’ve had some bandits raid our sites lately. They seem to be getting braver and we’ve started to fear for our own safety and the safety of our information. We were just hoping that we could have you wizards on standby until we were done with our digging and securing of the information. After we’re done each day we’ll all leave and meet back here by eight the next morning. We only need you guys for the week, after that we should have everything we need.” The taller of the two men explained, promptly cutting off the bickering he’d been listening to.

“And you’ll tell us if anything talks about dragons leaving or going anywhere? Or like if they have a secret hideout?” Natsu asked, excitedly. He just couldn’t believe that he may have a lead on Igneel finally, after all these years. 

~And then.~

A face emerged from the shadows, close to the ceiling. They had been following the group through the caves for some time now. Waiting for those old fools to finally uncover the entrance, when they did, it would be an easy matter for them to swoop in and get rid of them, and thus taking credit for this important find. Yes, their little group was going to finally get the respect it deserves. No one would find out about these little twerps that came to help the old men, they’d never find them period.

Dark hair and velvet eyes faded back into the stone, for where ever there was shadow, they could hide. And they would continue to hide until the truth was uncovered. A chill shifted through the air toward the person as they concealed themselves once again in the shadows. Just in time too as the boy wizard with the group whipped around to look, nose flaring slightly.


	4. Mates and, He Cooks?

Lucy plopped down on her bed stretching. Sitting in a dingy cave all day wasn’t exactly her idea of fun. The archaeologist thought that if they carefully took down one of the walls in the tunnel it would open up into this supposed library. But if they weren’t careful then they could cause the tunnel to collapse and possibly the room on the other side. To Lucy however, their ‘carefulness’ was like digging with spoons.

“Well, you up for some grub? I’m hungry!” Natsu called walking into the only bedroom in the cabin. Luckily it wouldn’t be a problem for Lucy’s stressed nerves because the archaeologist who rented it made sure there were two beds in the room.

“Yea, sure Natsu.” Lucy smiled, pulling a dusty old book to her lap. The two men gave it to her since they had studied all they thought was relevant from it. It was that book that led them to believe the Dragon Library was in those particular caves. Natsu so nicely ‘left it up to’ her to read and tell him if it said anything that may pertain to Igneel. Really she knew that he just didn’t want to read.

“I’ll cook so you can just read that!” Natsu smiled, running out of the room so she could read. His excitement at having the book was contagious and Lucy was happy that he trusted her with doing the reading for him. Really though, exactly what was he going to cook? Lucy had some serious doubts about what she was going to get to eat that night.

She cracked open the book and looked over the first page. The writing was old and worn, but she started to put pieces together until she got the title.

_Ways the Mages who Live Under Dragons Change_

Hmm, so was this book talking about Dragon Slayers? They were the ones who lived under and trained with dragons after all. This book wasn’t exactly about dragons as it was so much about the dragon slayers. She threw on her magic reading glasses so that she could fly through the book when the writing became less worn further in. She continued to speed read with her glasses, well that was until she got to a certain topic…

~And then.~

Natsu walked back into the bedroom to get Lucy for dinner to see her concentrating heavily on the book in her lap with her cheeks a shade of scarlet. “Hey, Lu? Everything alright?” He asked.

She almost jumped out of her skin snapping the book shut, “Y-yea, w-why wouldn’t I be?” After her initial fright her eyes shifted away from Natsu, refusing to look directly at him. Natsu, being completely confused, just shook his head.

“Well dinner is ready!” he smiled at his blond friend. She still wouldn’t look him in the eye but she nodded and stood to follow.

Dinner was sitting on the table, he had made a stew. Not many people knew he could cook, but if he liked to eat so much, of course he should know how to cook. He sat eagerly awaiting some sort of praise, especially since she was the first person he cooked for outside of Happy. He watched carefully as she began to eat, and then she continued to eat in silence. Natsu sighed, he thought cooking was the least he could do since she was the one reading through the book by herself, but now she didn’t even seem to care that she was eating. Well if she didn’t like his food then that was fine, he’d never cook for her again!

Natsu began eating his own food, watching her as she ate. He desperately wanted to know what was wrong with her but didn’t want to ask, especially since she wouldn’t even comment on the food he made. Seriously, the nerve of her.

“Hey Natsu?” Lucy called, still not looking at him. “How old are you exactly?”

His confusion was clearly shown on his face, “Uh, I think almost 19?” Growing up with Igneel was a little different Natsu had come to find out. Dragons didn’t really celebrate birthdays the way humans do and he never focused on it, so in turn he didn’t actually know when his birthday was.

“You think?” she said, the question being conveyed in her tone. So he just explained as he mindlessly munched on his food, still sulking on his lost praise. He continued to sneak glances at her to catch her sometimes already looking at him. When he would catch her she would just quickly look away again. It really was starting to bother him.

“C’mon Lu, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting strange ever since you read that book. Was there anything about the dragons in there?” He almost whined at her.

“No not really. It’s more about slayers than dragons.” She answered, then changed the subject, “This food is really good.”

There was that compliment he had worked so hard to get. He grinned his usual grin and started eating his next bowl with more enthusiasm, pausing to say “Well, if there are any spells in there that are for dragon slayers just let me know! Just the thought of learning more about my magic that Igneel couldn’t teach me has me all fired up!”

~And then.~  
  


Lucy finished her bowl and took it to the sink for cleaning. She planned to finish the book afterwards but just couldn’t get her mind off the last chapter. Lucy went back to the room and cracked open the book and re-read the previous section.

_Dragon slayers, just like the dragons who raised them, have mates and mate for life. They tend to track down these mates between the ages of 17-20 and then stay by their side after that. Though some slayers may not realize, and put it off to close friendships, if they have indeed found their mate, it is only a matter of time before they lose themselves to their true nature. There are exceptions to the age of when they actually find their mates, but of all the slayers we have studied, they do eventually feel the urge to leave and find their mates even if they don’t know exactly why they’re leaving. However, it is hard for dragon slayers to leave their mates sides once found._

“Hey Natsu?!” Lucy called through the cabin.

“Yea?” He yelled back as she heard something vague crash and possibly shatter in the kitchen.

“Do you ever get the urge to run off anywhere?” Lucy asked as she heard his footsteps near the bedroom.

He walked in and fell back onto his bed stretching out. “No why would I? Everything I need is at Fairy Tail. You know Lucy you’ve been acting really weird the last couple days. Are you sick or something?”

“No, why would you think that?” Lucy asked confused.

“Well, you haven’t been talking as much, every time I’ve been around you it feels like you have a fever, and I think you’re making me feel sick too!” He crossed his arms waiting for her answer.

“I don’t think I’m sick, don’t blame it on me. If you’re sick then just stay away from me! If I get sick how am I supposed to work to pay my rent?!” Lucy snapped, backing away from Natsu with a hand covering her mouth and nose.

He grinned, “Well at least that seems to be a little more like you!”

Lucy sighed turning back to the book, ignoring her moronic friend.

_It is not known exactly why the slayers adopted the instinct to protect and take one individual partner for life. Though these slayers often throw adopted families into disarray with the constant need to be adventuring around. We have yet to find a single individual who doesn’t feel the need to leave after the age 17. So, if there are slayers who aren’t showing their need to hunt down a mate it is rather likely they have already found their mate and know who they are._

Lucy looked over to her partner who lay stretched out on the bed, almost asleep she would assume. He said he was almost 19 but didn’t feel like running off. She wondered if that meant he had already found his mate. Specifically he said everything he needed was in Fairy Tail. Did that mean his mate was part of the guild? It was kind of romantic she thought, having one true mate or love. Observing her friend she couldn’t believe that dope would even know the meaning of having a mate, he was probably one of the few who put it off to close friends.

Really though, had Natsu found his mate? His lifelong love? She blushed at the thought, feeling slight jealousy over the unknown individual. Wait, jealousy? She sighed, continuing to read,

_If the slayer has not made a move or declared his mate he may just be putting it off to a close friend as the earlier paragraph stated, but if that’s the case there are some clues to look for in the sense of studying the slayers. Slayers will want to spend more time with this person than any other person. This person will be the first person that the slayer actively seeks out to tell new things to. Also, the slayer will be more acutely aware of where their mate to be is at all times._

_Often a slayer will develop senses more specific to this individual and it can only be explained as a sort of bonding magic. For example, a slayer may be able to smell his mate from a much further distance than he could another. A slayer may be able to hear the mate’s calls from further away than he could another who is much closer. Physically, it makes no sense, and at this time we can only assume it is some sort of bonding through magic. Another point to make could be scent. A slayer already has a heightened sense of smell but will be drawn to their mates scent like a moth to the flame, most slayers can’t get enough of the way their mate smells._

“Natsu?” Lucy called, a tad softly just in case he had fallen asleep.

“Hmm?” was his soft reply.

“What’s your favorite scent?” Lucy asked, again rather softly. He cracked an eye open, suspicion clearly written on his face.

“That’s a weird question Lucy. Why do you want to know?” he asked, his cheeks turning hot as he rolled his head to look the other way. Lucy regarded his behavior with the eye of a scientist studying information. Maybe the technical lay out of the research book just had her in that kind of mood.

“Just curious. Do you have a favorite scent? I mean if you don’t that’s fine too.” Lucy said, observing him closely.

Natsu rolled his head back to look at her. “Aren’t you getting tired? You should get some sleep. You could probably finish the book tomorrow while we’re sitting in the caves.”

Lucy just sighed at him and closed the book, ‘Of course he’d found his mate, he just doesn’t want to tell me who’s scent smells the best.’ She stood up, walking to the bathroom for a nice shower.

~And then.~

Natsu lay in bed looking up at the ceiling. Lucy had been on his mind for most of the day and now she was bombarding him with weird questions that really made him start to wonder.

Her first question was weird and he meant it when he said everything he needed was at Fairy Tail. Before she came though, he used to roam around a lot more than just when he was on his missions. Always felt the need to run off and look, for what he could only guess was Igneel. Though after she came he started doing that less and less. It wasn’t that he had given up on Igneel, it just felt better not to leave the guild. He felt compelled to stay.

Then she asked him his favorite scent. He knew that answer though he didn’t tell her. As soon as she asked the answer jumped to the front of his mind, it was her. That was strange though wasn’t it? People shouldn’t be ranked as a favorite scent that was just strange. He was really starting to wish Happy was there, so then he would have someone to talk to about why Lucy was making him feel so weird.

The door cracked open as Lucy walked in, drying her hair with her towel. She had on long sleeved pajamas and long pajama pants in a pastel green. She yawned as she walked over to her bed, climbing in. Natsu had turned off the lights while she was gone and she didn’t bother turning them on as she got situated. He sniffed the air slightly, tasting her warm scent. He could only place her scent as something sweet like Vanilla and warm like fire, and of course he loved fire.

Natsu listened as she began to fall asleep and couldn’t help but hear the slight shiver she had, most likely from her trying to go to sleep with wet hair. He sighed and walked over taking his blanket and throwing it over her on top of her own. What was she doing to him?

Falling back onto his own bed he just stared at her as her shivering started to go away and she got a peaceful look on her face. He smiled and yawned, continuing to ponder this weird feeling he had been getting ever since he slept in her bed. Well, to be honest he’d been feeling a little different ever since she joined the guild, but now he knew it was because of her.


	5. His Dreams

“Lucy.” He whispered, pushing her against the wall of her apartment. He pressed his body into hers nuzzling her neck, drawing in her scent. He was growing hot, and even hotter as she wrapped her arms around him, sighing.

He pulled her legs up to his waist and she wrapped them around him. He then walked to her bed and laid her down. He was on top of her, leaning in to place his lips on hers when she said, “Natsu, it’s time to get up.”

~~~~~~

“Natsu! Get up! We’re going to be late!” Lucy yelled at the young fire mage, who was refusing to wake. When he failed to respond, once again, she stalked over to his bed, shaking his arm. “Natsu? C’mon now, you gotta get up!”

He sighed, turning to his side towards her but hardly waking up. Now the young spirit mage was becoming aggravated. She thought he’d be a deep sleeper, but this was intense. “NA-TSU!” she yelled rather close to his ear. That finally did it, he jolted awake, jerking forward, bumping his head on Lucy’s.

“Ow.” She moaned softly, rubbing her head teary eyed. At least the idiot was up. Natsu looked around slightly confused, yawning. He noticed his blond partner and more confusion erupted.

“You ok Luce? Did you hit your head?” His concern was clearly there, though he didn’t seem the least bit fazed by the head bashing. She made a fist, clearly trying to put her anger in check. She shook as she took in a few deep breaths.

“Yes, now let’s go! If we don’t hurry, they may think we bailed and not pay us anymore! I have rent to take care of!” she stormed out of the room, leaving a completely baffled dragon slayer.

~Heh.~

Natsu’s mind had revisited his dream several times as the old geezers continued to ‘dig’ the wall out. His mind would wander to his dream and then his eyes would wander to his blond partner. There were a few times she would catch him and look back. He couldn’t figure out why but he realized that he kept staring at her lips, imagining what it would be like to kiss her.

Wondering what exactly her lips would feel like he was staring when those wonderfully lush lips started to move. It took him a second to realize that she was talking to him.

“Natsu?” she asked sweetly.

“Hmm?” he mumbled. What had gotten into him? He’d been so quiet the last couple days. It really was starting to bother her and he could tell, he never wanted her to be uncomfortable around him.

“So did you ever feel like wondering off from the guild a couple years back?” The weird questions were starting again. He was really starting to wonder why she had so many questions now.

His eyebrow raised as he thought about her question. “Well yea, I’ve always been looking for Igneel, I suppose I started to stick around more after you joined the guild though. Couldn’t have my team member never have her partner around could I?” he gave her his usual cheesy grin.

“Oh? Why did you take me on as your partner anyways?” The curiosity in her voice was growing and he felt the way her eyes were alerted to his every move. Made him feel good to have so much of her focus. Like he should feel honored or something, but it was just Lucy and friends always liked to be with each other right? Then his mind flashed back to his dream. Ok, maybe just friends didn’t like to be with each other like that.

“Um, I dunno. Seemed like a good fit for me and Happy. We didn’t actually have our own team anyways. I was always gone on requests and just traveling. No one wanted to partner up with someone who was going to be gone all the time, ya know?” He gave the best answer he could think of, but in all honesty, it sounded a little off to him anyways.

~And Then.~

The next day went by in much the same way with the caves. Sitting, watching, almost falling asleep and repeat. Lucy was seriously getting bored out of her mind and was silently wondering if the library even existed. She happily returned back to the cabin to read while Natsu ran off, saying something about training or exhausting excess energy. Cracking open the book she had stashed in her bag she began reading more.

_Dragon slayer’s mates may become affected by the energy of the slayer. Often times the mate will start to develop attractions and feelings much more in depth. Though from what we have studied, if the slayer has truly found their mate, that person will already be drawn to them of their own accord. So there is no reason to think that the slayer picking the mate seals the deal. If the supposed mate does not return any attraction or feeling then they will not be affected by the energy the slayer is giving off and therefore the slayer will not feel the full connection. When this happens a slayer will lose interest rather quickly and continue on the journey to find their mate._

_When the mates become affected, they may notice increased attraction to the slayer as well as possessiveness towards them. This usually starts when the start of the bonding magic comes into play. It seems the first level of effects start simply by being near the mate and having the desired connection._

She finished reading and thought back on everyone in the guild. From what she could tell no one really seemed too attracted to Natsu. When Lisanna first returned it seemed she still had feelings for Natsu, but he’d been staying around the guild from the time Lucy first arrived. If his mate was to be Lisanna he would have been still traveling around according to the book.

Lucy silently went through the list of everyone she could think of and didn’t get anywhere. “Lucy! I’m back! I’m gonna take a shower!” she heard Natsu call and then heard the click of the bathroom door.

Sighing to herself she made her way to the kitchen. She should probably try to throw something together, since he was the one who had been doing all the cooking. Before she had even finished the prep Natsu walked into the kitchen, she really did wonder how guys showered so fast. Turning around she dropped the knife she had been using to chop vegetables.

Natsu had left his vest off and was using a towel to finish drying his hair. His pants were haphazardly pulled up to his waist and his scarf was in his other hand. It didn’t make any sense to Lucy, but all she could do was imagine running her hands up his flat stomach and chest to wrap around his neck, taking little nips at his neck with her teeth. She knew her thoughts were out of control, she’d seen him like this a million times, why was she so hot and bothered now?

“Luce? You alright? You’re looking sick again.” Natsu said, oblivious to her desires. The heat spread from her cheeks to the rest of her face as she picked up the knife and turned quickly around.

“I think I’m going to go lay down. Finish this up, would ya?” she all but ran from the kitchen, not bothering to look at the baffled Natsu.


	6. Her Dreams

Natsu lay awake, staring at the ceiling. His eyes wouldn't close and his nose wouldn't stop harassing him with Lucy's scent. It was sweet and nice, something you'd rub your face in… There it was again, the entity that was his nose was harassing him, too bad it was hard to part with. Sighing to himself he rolled to his side to stare off blankly at Lucy's back. How could one person smell so sweet, so damned good? His thoughts only gave him more thoughts, and in confusion that only equals more confusion.

Muttered whispers drew Natsu from his confusion to his sleeping partner. Her voice was muted and the tone was hard to make out. In a split second his decision was made, his curiosity in what she was saying too great for him to continue staring up at the ceiling. His ears finally picked up a word as he neared her bed and it set him on fire.

Who would have thought that just the sound of his name rolling off her lips in such a tone could have his heart spasm and his body jerk? Why would just his name on her lips have that effect on him? A small moan left her lips and his body responded the same.

The bed wasn't that big but with Lucy on the very edge Natsu was able to lean down and lay beside her without disturbing her. With his head propped up on his hand, elbow in the pillow he watched her back again. He knew he should probably be in his own bed, there were two and they were exactly the same, but he just couldn't help but be close to her in any way he could. Besides all he wanted to do was watch his little spirit mage sleep, and try to listen to her dream. Maybe then he could figure out why the tone was driving him crazy.

Wait, _his_ little spirit mage? He sighed not even bothering to argue with that rampant mind of his. Another moan and Lucy rolled over, now facing him. His face became hot just from looking at her, now that she had rolled she was only inches from touching him. He must be getting sick he decided, that was the only time his face felt hot like it did now. Of course, that would make since, he's getting sick!

Then Lucy's arm lazily reached out as she began shifting in her sleep only to land on his side. Her hand re-adjusted to his ribs and he laid frozen as she pushed closer to him, muttering his name again. His heart raced and his body was on fire again.

Taking a deep breath he wrapped his arm around her. Why he would hug her in her sleep he wasn't sure, but he knew he wanted to. She sighed, sleep still coating her voice, as she nuzzled closer to his neck. His heart skipped a beat as he felt her breath on his neck. Then the scrape of her teeth lightly on his neck had his entire body pulsating, a certain area more than others. He fell backwards out of her bed, luckily it didn't wake her up.

He wasn't stupid, he knew what arousal was. Knew exactly what his body was doing, what it wanted. Makarov had been in charge of giving all the youngsters of the guild 'the talk' when they were old enough, and Natsu's face burned when he thought back on it. The only thing that he still couldn't figure out was why he was feeling this way with Lucy, his _partner_ , not his lover.

Makarov had said that he may feel aroused… with a lover. He quickly slipped back into his bed, watching Lucy like he would a poisonous snake, not sure if it was safe to be near.. Silently he wondered how someone would become 'lover' status and attempted to sleep on it.

~And Then.~

Lucy woke up stretching, feeling completely well rested. The night before with her thoughts jumbled and out of sorts she decided to try a sleeping potion she had picked up before they left Magnolia. Lucy looked over to see if Natsu was still asleep and was completely surprised to find that he wasn't even in the room.

Quickly dressing she wondered if there was something wrong for him to already be up and out. She stepped out of the cabin and into the chill of the morning mountain air only to find Natsu laid out in the grass in front of the cabin looking at the sky.

"Natsu?" she called, walking towards him and wrapping her arms around herself. When he didn't reply she spoke louder, "It's so chilly out here, what are you doing?" She came to a stop beside him, looking down at him.

"Couldn't sleep I was too hot in that room." He replied, though his tone held an underlying statement she couldn't quite figure out.

"You could have opened the window if you couldn't sleep." She told him, confused.

"It was warmer the night before and you were shivering in your sleep. I don't feel the cold like you do, so I just came out here." He respond, continuing to stare at the sky.

Lucy was touched he'd even thought about her comfort when he couldn't sleep. However, his flat tone and lack of looking her way made her confused. Mulling over his change of behavior while seriously contemplating going back inside he drew her from her thoughts.

"What were you dreaming about last night?" then he looked at her, his eyes a lot more serious than she was used to seeing.

Thinking back on it she couldn't remember at all, possibly a side effect of the potion or perhaps it was just one of those dreams you don't remember having. For him to question her on it though had to mean she had done something for him to think she was dreaming.

"I don't remember, why? Did I make weird noises or something?" she questioned, feeling a bit awkward about it.

"Well, you said my name a lot and you were making these moaning noises." Natsu said in all seriousness, turning to look at her finally. Coming from someone else she would have assumed they were messing with her to get a rise. Too bad someone else hadn't said it though, because she knew Natsu wouldn't have picked on her like that, he was too much on the innocent side to think like that.

Her face flushed and she coughed to give herself time to organize her thoughts. "Well I'm not sure what it was all about. Sorry if it bothered you." Her tone became aggravated as a way to hide her embarrassment, and she turned quickly making her way back to the cabin.


	7. The Library

Lucy was thoroughly aggravated. She knew she liked Natsu, but she wasn’t sure if she _liked_ him. Sure she knew she was attracted to him, but hell he was her best friend and partner; why would she do anything to jeopardize that? Jeopardize them? Besides, if he did know who his mate was then there was no point pursuing anything beyond friendship with him. Why couldn’t her body just get in line like her mind already had?

Sitting on her usual crate she was kicked back and forth, seeing as her feet couldn’t reach the ground, and had Plue perched in her lap. She couldn’t just sit with Natsu yet, she needed the distraction that Plue could give her. Since their earlier conversation however, Natsu hadn’t pushed her on the subject, instead he was sitting in silence, nose twitching.

Though when he finally did say something she couldn’t help but stare at him. “What?!”

“I said, what makes someone become a lover instead of a friend?” he repeated, seemingly exasperated. He leaned forward staring at what she knew would be a gaping mouth. His face completely serious.

Her mind ran over any reason why he would be having this particular conversation and landed upon a certain reason. He knew who his mate was and was going to attempt to court them. She felt an uneasy feeling arise from her chest and stomach, almost sick like. Of course it didn’t matter if she liked him, her chances were done.

“Why are you asking me?” she replied hotly. Still attempting to think of any other reason that he may be asking.

“Well, besides Happy you’re my best friend, thought you might be able to tell me.” He seemed a little bit let down, knowing that Lucy probably wasn’t going to reply.

Lucy cracked open her book and read the next section as a way to let him know that she was done talking.

_Earlier we stated that it would only be a matter of time before they lost themselves to their ‘true nature’. Which is a polite way to put their lust. The lust of a Dragon Slayer toward his mate is like no other lust, there have been reports of behavior changes and the slayers starting to push for a mating to take place, even if they are normally shy or innocent in nature. It seems this lust gets harder for the slayers to control when the bonding magic becomes more set and active._

“We did it!” she was pulled from her book to see the last bit of wall crumbling away and two very excited archaeologist. There was a gaping hole in the wall about the size of a narrow doorway. Relieved for the interruption Lucy hopped off the crate.

~And Then.~

Natsu knew he wanted Lucy, his body reacting to her every little movement was nothing he didn’t notice. What he didn’t know was what to do about it. She was the only one there to talk to about it and he wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea, considering she was the subject of his questions. He didn’t know why he’d want those things that flitted around in his head with his partner, but his mind seemed to become hazier and hazier as to why it was a bad thing. Would it really be a bad thing to taste those lips he’d been fantasizing about or explore every inch of her body that was causing his fingers to tingle in anticipation?

When he finally decided to ask her his question he didn’t understand her reaction. Why would she be getting mad at him for something like that? It’s not like she could know that he asked for any particular reason, right?

An exclamation from the old geezers drew his attention as part of the cave’s tunnel wall crumbled away. Sighing, he stood up and gave a quick stretch and followed after his little blonde partner.

The ‘library’ that they had been searching for was surprisingly…..small. A book shelf about the size of a single bed turned up on it’s side, filled with books, sat in an open cavern. Though you would have thought that they stumbled into a treasury full of gold and gems with the faces the old men were giving their discovery.

Natsu watched his partner follow the old geezers into the room. She was mad at him, though for what he couldn’t say. Her being mad made him almost sad, which of course didn’t make any sense, none at all. Wait, shouldn’t he be more fired up about finally finding the library? Finally, he attempted to pour more energy into his positive thoughts on finding Igneel.

“So, anything there look like it may say where all the dragons went?” Natsu asked, enthusiastically running up to the old archaeologists.

They looked over the books, scratching their heads incredulously, “It seems these books are in an odd language. It’s the same odd language that comes up in snippets in the book we let you two borrow. Though that language doesn’t appear until the end of that book.”

Lucy walked to stand beside Natsu, her scent drowning him in it’s sweet warmth. Instantly he wanted her and he groaned as her sleeve brushed his arm, feather-light. His body and mind objected when she continued to take a few more steps toward the two men, and away from him.

He should just tell her, right? They were friends, it wouldn’t mess that up, they were too close for something like that to kill their friendship. At least then he would be able to talk to someone about it too, right?

Lucy turned to explore the cave further as the two men started gently pulling books off of the shelves and arranging them into boxes. Natsu watched her out of the corner of his eye as she ran her fingertips across the cave wall.

“Young man, could you perhaps hold this?” one of the gentlemen asked while shoving a box into his hands. Natsu nodded, turning back to look at them and maybe see if there was more information to be found. By the smell of the musty books he knew that the books most likely didn’t hold any information about why the dragon’s left, they were too old.

A surprised gasp from Lucy at the far end of the cave drew Natsu’s attention. His heart sank and he dropped the box and started to run. Lucy was being absorbed into a shadow on the cave wall. Arms were wrapped around her body and dragging her in as she struggled against the shadow form to reach her keys. Natsu saw the fire, and also the fear, in her eyes as she became completely engulfed and the shadow faded to nothing.

Natsu’s mind went blank as the fury rushed over his body. And somewhere far away in his mind he heard Lucy calling him, “Natsu! Help me… please.”

  



	8. Caught and Thought

She was definitely in a cave. She couldn’t see and the musty smell was becoming permanently etched within her very being. After the initial panic of being caught wore off she struggled to get her footing though that didn’t work as well as she wanted it to seeing as her feet and hands were bound. Her keys had been taken and she wondered what exactly the bad guy’s plans were. Killing her with the smell of a musty cave was high on her list of dangerous plots.

Hours of wriggling her hands and wrists left her immensely diminished. The cold metal of her cuffs chaffed her wrists as they slowly sucked away her magic power. Her mind was somewhere between panic and anger.

Was she really so pathetic? She really hadn’t gotten anywhere since joining the guild, hadn’t gotten any stronger while everyone else improved. There was no doubt in her mind that if someone else from the guild were in her situation they’d already be free and destroying the hideout. Tears brimmed at her eyes, she couldn’t help her thoughts, and she knew they were right. She was so weak.

Her mind flashed to Natsu, regretting how snarky and hotheaded she had acted toward him. He was her friend and all she did was push him away.

‘C’mon Luce, you know you’re the best celestial mage in the world!’ Natsu’s voice carried through her mind. Just thoughts of his optimistic tone and smile helped to settle her mood. Echoing steps could be heard coming toward her as she scrambled to at least sit upright. With each step the sense of dread weighing down her chest seemed to increase.

A man leered at her from around a nearby crate. “Aren’t you tasty? Heh, cap’n said to kill, but you’re just so tasty.” His voice rasped and sent chills down Lucy’s spine. “Little pink friend not so. He will die.”

Lucy’s dread turned to razor sharp focus, “What did you do to Natsu?” the anger clearly present in her voice.

“Oh, I’ve done nothing! Nothing! But cap’n wants little pink dead. Dead dead.” His speech reminded Lucy of a small child, though his tone reminded her or something far more sinister.

“And just who is this captain of yours exactly?” only moments ago she was trembling like a scared babe, now with thoughts of someone after Natsu she was beginning to get her fire back. No one had better lay a hand on her Natsu.

~And then.~

Natsu ran through the woods, eagerly sniffing out Lucy, his Lucy. How could he let her be taken? He couldn’t be so weak, not to let anything happen to her. His mind was racing, his feet following a path mindlessly, a path that he somehow knew would bring him to Lucy.

It felt as if he had been running for ages, but her scent still lingered in his nose. Perhaps the enemy was using magic to fool him? Leading him blindly into a trap? Even as those thoughts filled his mind he knew that he was getting closer to Lucy, he could feel it in his entire body. The thought of getting back to her, just to be by her side, just to know she was close and safe.

An enemy jumped from a tree to land in front of him, only to be knocked unconscious, he didn’t have time to play around with the likes of him.

Natsu felt Lucy, in a way that was strange to him, he felt her anger and fire where he had only felt dread and pity before. His Lucy was acting more like his Lucy, he grinned as images of her expressions passed through his mind. ‘That’s it Luce. Don’t forget, you’re my Lucy and anyone who I claim as my friend… no _mine,_ has more courage in their pinky finger than these guys.”

His feelings no longer got to him, his thoughts, not clouding him in confusion. He knew he wanted Lucy, wanted her in ways that he never thought to see anyone in. Thoughts of finding her filled him with joy and his heart grew lighter, she was close by. With every pound of his foot to the ground she was almost within reach again. Trees flew by in a staggering speed.

He finally reached the entrance to the cave. Throwing caution to the wind, like normal, he ran in. His keen senses tracking Lucy. A wall appeared in front of him, blocking his path. He looked around, tasting the air as he did so.

“Come out! I know you’re there.” Natsu growled.

“My my, out little dragon slayer has at least proven his sense of smell to be inhuman.” A man appeared, stepping out from the shadows. His hair in a spiky mess of black a top his head and glaring purple eyes. “I was wondering if the stories were true. Do you really possess the power of a dragon? Or are you just a little stronger than normal? The man who contracted us wanted you both dead. In return we got to claim those gibbering idiots find as our own. Though he insisted that we obtain the book that had been in your possession up until this point. I’m sure my little pet has already acquired it from your little blond friend and disposed of her.”

Natsu really didn’t understand why the man thought it a good idea to spout off everything to him. But even the thought of someone laying a hand on Lucy infuriated him. His fists were instantly engulfed in flames.

“You will not touch her.” His voice was taut. He lunged toward the man only to have the man laugh as he disappeared back into the shadows.

~And then.~

Lucy felt renewed, her strength returning, the cuffs had been removed, though she didn’t understand why the squat being in front of her disobeyed his master to free her.

“Tasty girl be friend now? Yes?” his voice hissed.

“Do you know what tasty means?” Lucy asked starting to wonder and the nature of the being in front of her. The hefty being no taller than 4 feet stammered and smiled.

“Good of course! Like good things like food, yes?” Lucy stared at him, completely off-guard. “Was not wrong, right? Answer tasty? Answer good?”

Lucy began to laugh hysterically, “That’s not exactly right. Why are you helping me?” she started to scan the area for her keys while awaiting his reply.

“Cap’n not tasty, not at all. Real mean to all and me. If help you, you take me with you? Seba be tasty for you. Always listen.” Though his voice was raspy and his words, inaccurate, to say the least; Lucy had the feeling that this, Seba, meant her no real harm.

“Seba? Have you seen my keys? They were with me when I was brought here.” Lucy asked kindly. His expression turned dark. And Lucy felt her body tense and she watched Seba more closely. He turned away from her, digging his hands through pockets and growling under his breath. Then he stilled again.

“Seba knows that cap’n ‘ad ‘em. He said they be good price when you are forever sleeping. But Seba knows he would not make you sleep, so he stole them.” Seba began to grin and Lucy could see his jagged teeth. She was beginning to wonder where exactly Seba came from and what exactly he was.

He pulled the keys out displaying them for her to see. “Thank you so much!” Lucy exclaimed. He dropped them into her hands and Lucy felt like time stopped.

Red eyes flashed from behind little Seba as a blade slashed him from behind. The grin that was just on his face moments before turned into shock and terror. Blood sprayed from his body as he fell to the side.

“Seems like the pet thought he could just change masters. How silly of him!” Red eyes glinted and the new being, somehow appearing to be more monstrous than Seba originally seemed, grinned and rows of sharp teeth could be seen.

“I thought to give the little pet a new toy for a while. I never dreamed he’d actually try to become a friend of yours.” The man cloaked in black shook his head hissing under his breath.

Lucy’s eyes narrowed, “How could you be so cruel? To slash him in the back like a coward? You’re despicable.”

The man grinned, teeth glinting like sharp daggers against the dim lighting in the cave. Lucy readied herself for a fight.

~And then.~

Natsu could feel Lucy’s increased energy. Feeling her life flow at full force through him, she was on fire, ready to fight. Natsu grinned, readying himself for a fight against a man of shadows.

  



	9. Fight of Fire and Shadows

Lucy was wearing thin, her energy becoming depleted to a dangerous level. Gasping she held her whip taunt against her legs, half bent over, while Loki stood in front of her ready to fight. Loki glanced back at her, worry in his eyes; he knew she was drained, her magic power wouldn’t be enough to keep his gate open.

“Oh, the little girl and her pet lion thought to fight me? Thought to win? That’s priceless, you’re making me laugh harder than I have in the last 10 years.” The man’s spiky teeth showed as he grinned, causing a chill to run up Lucy’s back.

She huffed, feeling dizziness set in. Her limbs felt still and cold. How could she think to win? _Luce, don’t be so hard on yourself._ Natsu’s voice whispered into her mind, she would have thought she was hearing things but warmth spread through her muscles, liquid heat restoring life back to her exhausted limbs. Her mind couldn’t quite wrap around what was happening but Loki’s changed expression was all she needed to see to know that he felt it too. Her magic was refilled, feeling as if there was a tie between her magic and another vast amount separate from her being, but seemingly not separate at all. Not having time to think over everything that this feeling meant she turned to face her assailant.

Her fight continued with her revived energy. Somewhere she could feel him, she could feel Natsu and he was drawing closer to her. Standing just in front of Seba’s body she hoped with all that she was that he was still alive. Loki attacked as Lucy ran up behind him readying her whip.

It felt like a lifetime had gone by but in reality had only been a few minutes and Lucy’s ears caught a flicker of sound. It was someone’s feet running toward her from the opening of the cave on the right. Lucy could feel Natsu’s presence and flashed a relieved smile in his direction.

And that was when everything went dark.

Natsu saw an attack land on Lucy as he ran up to her. Her smile turned to a blank stare as she hit the cave floor. Instant rage swept over his body. How dare this person lay a hand to his Lucy. Fire engulfed his body as he attacked, pure rage over the attack to his Lucy, to his mate. The man sneered as Natsu came toward him, opening his mouth to make what Natsu was sure would be a snarky comment.

Natsu was on him in a second, punching his jaw with unrelenting force and whipping his head to the back. The man was startled, having no idea this boy in front of him had that much power behind his physical abilities. The man jumped back, putting space between him and Natsu. However, Natsu wasn’t about to give him any room to think.

Another punch came at the mans face, but this time the slayer’s hand was engulfed in flame. As the blow hit the man felt searing pain. He hissed in response as Natsu pulled back to swing again. Though he had just finished another fight his rage caused renewed energy to swell through him.

Whip like shadows sprung up from behind the man a lashed out at Natsu, Natsu walked toward him, the rage rolling off of his walking form could be felt by the man. His shadow weapons didn’t even seem to faze the slayer.

“He assured me this magic would rule supreme over you! Why are you not even fazed?!” the man hissed, his shadowy weapons launched themselves forward, bombarding the slayer. As Natsu continued walking through the onslaught the man backed away, disbelieving of what was happening in front of his eyes.

“You are a fool, a weak whelp who thought he could do more.” a voice hissed from the top of the cave. The Shadow user and Natsu’s heads snapped up to look at him. “I really thought you had more potential.”

In an instant a dagger was between the shadow mages eyes. Natsu’s eyes turned upward in disbelief as the figure sunk back into the cave walls and all essence of his presence vanished. Trying to understand what had just transpired Natsu heard a weak voice call out. Lucy.

He ran over to her as she slowly sat up holding her head with her hand. “Lucy!” he fell to her side and pulled her into his arms. “Are you alright? Does anything hurt? Did they-” he was cut off as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I’m so happy you came, how did you ever find me?” she felt weak in his arms as he felt her lose consciousness. He smiled at her gently lifting her into his arms. “Don’t forget Seba...” she muttered under her breath, he smiled at her. Not even fully awake and she’s worried.

Natsu sighed, just happy to feel her in his arms. His grin grew and his chest felt warm, and tight.

~And then~

Lucy felt warm, so warm. Her lips quirked into a smile as the scent filled her lungs.

“Natsu?” she muttered sleepily. Her eyes lifted open slightly as she registered what was going on. They were back in the cabin, she was lying in her bed with a certain slayer wrapped around her body. His chin rested atop her head and her face was buried in his chest.

Her cheeks grew hot and his arms tightened around her. He muttered her name and she felt his heart beat and the vibrations of her name emanating through his chest. Her heart started pounding.

“N-Natsu?.. Hey Natsu?” Lucy slid up her arms and rested her hands on his chest.

“Shh, Luce I’m sleeping.” he muttered groggily. Slightly cracking an eye open he pulled back enough to look down at her. “Everything alright?” His concern made her heart melt a little more than it already had. She smiled up at him.

“Thank you for coming for me Natsu.”

“Well of course Luce. Why wouldn’t I come for you?” Still squinting he managed to open the other eye. “Hope you don’t mind but your creepy friend has my bed and you were shivering so I thought you’d be ok sharing. You are my partner after all.” His grin turned into a yawn as he settled back in around her.

“Hey Luce?” he asked with a more serious note in his voice.

“Yeah?” she asked, looking up to see his eyes staring at her.

“Don’t scare me like that again.” The arm under her neck and the other wrapped around her waist pulled her tight against his body.

“You? The great Natsu, scared? I don’t believe it.” she playfully teased him. “How did you find me anyways?” she was becoming comfortable in his embrace.

“I don’t really know. It was like I could smell you and hear you, even though it took me forever to get to you. Strange isn’t it?” Natsu asked grinning.

Lucy looked up at him with wide eyes, her head spinning. Her thoughts flashed back to the book.

_Often a slayer will develop senses more specific to this individual and it can only be explained as a sort of bonding magic. For example, a slayer may be able to smell his mate from a much further distance than he could another. A slayer may be able to hear the mate’s calls from further away than he could another who is much closer. Physically, it makes no sense, and at this time we can only assume it is some sort of bonding through magic._

And that would mean...Natsu’s mate, was her?

“Luce? What’s up with your face? Why are you looking at me like th-” he was cut short as Lucy brought her lips up to meet his and his eyes flashed open in surprise but quickly met hers with lust. His body turned hot, hungry with desire. He pushed back into her lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright guys, I'd like to get back into writing so I'm cross posting this here. It was originally posted on my account FrozenFireLight on ff.net. Though it's always been meant to have a part 2. I'd love some feedback on the story and writing as I dive into writing the 2nd part. I'll post a chapter of this one every 1-2 weeks to give me time to get ahead on the next one. Thank you for any feedback!


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